New Taipei gives 1st DUI fine for mini electric 2-wheel vehicle driver

Taipei, Nov. 30 (CNA) Police in New Taipei's Zhonghe District on Sunday said they had recently given out the city's first-ever fine for driving a mini electric two-wheel vehicle while under the influence of drugs.

In a press statement, the New Taipei City Police Department said a 58-year-old man, surnamed Lu (呂), walked into the Jisui Police Station around 4 p.m. on Friday, and told an officer at the front desk that he wanted to turn himself in.

Lu told police he was hoping to break his addiction to drugs, and handed over a bag of amphetamines and a pipe. Officers at the station searched and questioned Lo, and prepared to turn him over to prosecutors to be investigated for drug possession, the statement said.

As officers noted that Lo had ridden to the station on a mini electric two-wheel vehicle, they also administered a rapid saliva test to determine whether he had been driving while impaired by drugs, the department said.

When the test came back positive for amphetamines, officers issued Lo a citation, which turned out to be the first drug-impaired driving fine ever issued in New Taipei to the driver of a mini electric two-wheel vehicle, the department said.

"Mini electric two-wheel vehicle" is a regulatory category in Taiwan in between a standard motorcycle/motor scooter and an electric power-auxiliary bicycle. Drivers only have to be 14 years old, meaning that a driver's license is not required, though owners must obtain a license plate and insurance.

Under the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act, such vehicles are defined as mainly powered by electricity, with a maximum speed of 25 kph or less, and a weight of at least 40 kilograms without a battery and 60 kg with a battery.

Under the act, driving a slow-moving vehicle -- such as a bicycle, electric auxiliary bike, mini electric two-wheel vehicle, personal mobility device, or an animal-driven vehicle -- while impaired by drugs or alcohol is punishable by a fine of NT$1,200 (US$38.20) to NT$2,400 and the vehicle's impoundment.